Girls Weekend!

This past weekend, I had a much needed girls weekend in Atlanta with my friends Nicole, Lindsey, and Kiley. Nicole and Lindsey live together in Brookhaven (just down the street from Buckhead) and Kiley is a pharmacy student in TN.  They are all from Eastman and I know them through my cousins who also live there.
Friday, I took off of work at 3 and headed out.  We had tickets to see Chelsea Handler at Chastain Park that night and I was so excited to do something different.  I had never seen a comedian live before and I knew we were going to have a night full of laughing.  Once I finally got to Nicole's apartment, I changed clothes really quickly and headed over to the park.  On our way there our friend, Brooke, called to ask us if we had heard the show was cancelled.  We wanted to see for ourselfs since we were almost there.  We pulled up and everyone was leaving.  She had cancelled! I was SO mad! I took off work early, drove 2 hours, got stuck in 2 traffic jams, got lost 3 times, and had to get ready in 10 mins just to get there and the show be cancelled.  She supposedly had the flu....but who gets the flu in June?! We decided not to let her ruin our plans so we went to Wet Willies to meet some of Nicole's friends for drinks.  We also had dinner there.  Later, we went to Hole in the Wall and stayed pretty late having a few drinks and dancing. 

I wasn't sure which frozen concoction to try so the bartender graciously let me try several!

Saturday, we were going to spend the day at the pool but it was very overcast and looked like it was going to rain at any second (another plan ruined).  So instead, we slept late and went to lunch at this really neat resturant called the Tree House.  We sat outside on the deck and enjoyed mimosas and brunch. I didn't really enjoy my meal but the atmosphere and fellowship made up for it. :) After lunch we went to Perimeter mall and shopped around.  We were all still tired from the night before so we went home and napped.  That night we went to The Ivy in Buckhead. It's an old mansion that has been converted into a resturant.  It was really fun and a lot of people were there. I actually ended up running into a friend from Hawkinsville that I had not seen in years. Small world!

Brunch at The Treehouse.

About to leave for The Ivy.

At the Ivy! So much fun!

This is "The Ivy" where we had dinner and drinks Saturday night.

Sunday, I left early to do a little shopping and have enough time to stop by Tanger outlet on my way home.  Before leaving Atlanta, I went by Home Goods for the first time. I have always wanted to go and was really excited.  I bought a few frames for my wall collage I am doing over the mantel in my bedroom.  I also bought a pretty framed print of pink and green flowers for my room at my mama's.  I ended up getting stuck in a really bad traffic jam on my way to Tanger so I didn't have as much time to shop as I had hoped for (they close early on Sundays).  I think that may have ended up being a good thing though. I spent wayyy too much money in the short time I was there!

I hope your weekend was as wonderful as mine! :)

Score!!

I think I should just have a seperate blog for all of my TJ Maxx finds.  I am literally obsessed with that store.  Not for their clothes (b/c I hate digging through them), but for their home goods and handbags. They have the best prices I have ever found anywhere.  Yesterday, I went with my friends Ashlee Culverhouse and Ashley Williams.  We have started eating dinner together once a week and then we visit TJ Maxx for "dessert"! :) 
During my trip last night, I couldn't help but notice a few things there that I had seen in magazines for a lot more.  Let's compare prices...(hold on to your chair)!

These are from Pottery Barn ($99.99-$29.99). They are too cute but the
TJ Maxx price makes them even cuter....

Large-$24.99 (cheaper than the smallest one at PB).  Small-$14.99!

Michael Kors sunglasses range from $295-$85.

I snagged these MK shades for a cool $19.99! My favorite find on this trip! :)

This purse made of ostrich skin is from Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen's clothing line "Row".
 It's set at a ridiculous price of over $5,000!

I found this faux ostrich skin purse for $24.99!! And it's a lot roomier than the above bag.

Close up....so exciting! :)

You can wear it cross body or as a tote.  I love it!

Us girls, having fun in the hat section! Ashlee C (in the middle) is a photographer too
and does a photo a day on FB. This was her photo of the day for Wednesday! Too cute!

Portraits in Paris

Last summer was the best summer of my LIFE!  I studied photography in Paris for 5 weeks through VSU.  I learned so much about my favorite hobby while in a city I have always wanted to visit (talk about killing 2 birds with 1 stone).  We took awesome field trips, photo excursions, and I even liked our assignments! :) 
During one of our first class meetings, our professor informed us we were going to the park across the street to take portraits of one of our classmates.  This was the first day I didn't wear make-up to class....just my luck.  I was paired up with a girl named, Jordyn.  She was really nice and we got to know each other pretty well.  I was really shy at first...having this girl I just met zoom in on my un-made up face.  We had to pose and this was just really weird for me.  I never saw the pictures she took but I was hoping they didn't look too bad.
Today, I was going through my old emails, deleting them, and saw a link to Jordyn's blog where she had posted the pictures of me for the assingment.  They weren't half bad and I thought I would share them with you. She did a really good job editing! The colors are so vibrant! I miss my days in Paris sooo much! These were taken the first week we were there.  I wish so bad I could experience it all over again!

What Photography is all About...

For me, photography is about capturing moments in life that you want to remember forever. Whether that be a tennis match, a birthday party, your child's first day of school, or one last family photo session.  My photographer friend, Ashlee Culverhouse, introduced me to her favorite photographer, Wildflowers Photography out of California.  To say their work is awesome is an understatement.  They posted a blog today about a little boy they photographed back in November named Jarren.  He had cancer and died 7 weeks after the pictures of him and his family were taken.  Today would be his 5th birthday. I wanted to share this story with you so that next time you start to complain about something you will hopefully see that you could always have it a lot worse. The family started a foundation to help other families of pediatric cancer in memory of their son.  If you would like to donate to this wonderful cause, please see the link in the attached blog below.  Please remember to keep this family in your prayers and also families who are effected daily by losing a child.
This to me, is what photography is all about....

http://wildflowersphotos.com/blog/missing-jarren-sharing-hope/

From Bridal to Baby {Showers}

My mom and several other ladies from Hawkinsville gave my long time friend, Sarah Lamar, a bridal shower Saturday.  I had been looking so forward to this day for a while.  I couldn't wait to see everyone, especially Sarah (she lives in Birmingham).  The shower was beautiful!  From the decorations, to the flowers, to the gifts, everything was perfect!  It was held at Ms. Vicky Griffin's house and the catering was done by Ms. Pat Coody.  Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the day.

Friends since diapers!

Drink recipes for our mimosas, bellinis, and rossinis.

Hawkinsville friends-Rebecca B, Rebecca Henry, Me, and Sarah.

The bride with her bridesmaid.



The yummy lemon blueberry parfaits we had for dessert made by Ms. Vicky!

The spread! :)

Saturday night, we had a yet another shower to attend.  During my "youth" days, my family and I attended FUMC in Cordele. I became really good friends with Bonnie Turton and she is expecting her first baby in July!  We were so happy to be invited to this shower to celebrate with her and her husband, Trevor.  The shower was held at the beautiful home of Liz Forehand.  It was so nice to catch up with our "Cordele Friends" as we call them. Bonnie and Trevor live in Tennessee now so we don't get to see each other very often.  I was sad when it was time to go home.  Here are a few pictures of my Bonnie with her cute baby bump!

Sweet girls I grew up in the youth program with.  Bonnie, Katy, and Carson.

Baby "Z"'s loot!

Love these girls!

Best low country boil dinner I have EVER had!  To top it off, we had
strawberry shortcake for dessert! :)

Bonnie and Trevor loved the cowboy hat and boots mama gave them!

My sweet Bonnie and baby "Z"!

Fun Finds!

Recently, I have found some very cute home decor items that I would love to put in my home.  One problem...I don't have my own home.  This is one of the things that stinks about still living with my parents.  While it saves money, it sure would be fun to have a whole house of my own to decorate!  I am hoping after I graduate in December, to buy that house and fill it with all things fun!


Check out these beautiful glass floor lamps I found at TJ Maxx. There were 5 of them when I went two weeks ago. This weekend when I went ( I go there TOO much), there was only one left. They were on clearence for $39.99.  A far cry from their original price of $159.99.  Of course I snatched it up and crossed my fingers it would fit in the back of my car.  And it did! Success!

  

Ok...so I am in love with this bench! It would look great at the foot on my bed. I love the fabric and the $79.99 price tag.  And yes, it's at TJ Maxx. I just may have to go back and get it.  It wouldn't fit in my car with my floor lamp!

I love turtles and these super cute bookends were begging me to buy them. This is where the not having a house problem comes into play.  They are at Two Friends in downtown Perry. I REALLY want them! My birthday is coming up in 2 months mom...hint, hint!

FUN with Couture Photography!

As most of you know...I love, love, love photography! I love being able to capture moments that will allow people to re-live them for a lifetime.  My favorite pictures are of my brother and I as children.  We were just the cutest kids and  I'm so glad my mom always had a camera in our faces.
I have recently had the opportunity to help the talented Ben Eckles of Couture Photography shoot a few weddings.  I serve as his assistant carrying his awesome cameras, getting things together (rings, garter, handkerchiefs, etc) to photograph, and getting some important shots during the wedding.  I have not been comfortable doing weddings just yet on my own with KT Lens Photography and I am hoping this helps me with my insecurities.  I have already learned so much from helping Ben.  He is so talented and works very hard getting his photographs just right.  I am very fortunate he lets me tag along and learn from him.  I couldn't think of any other way I would rather spend my weekends!

The wedding I helped with Sunday was in Macon. The reception was held at the beautiful Blacksmith Shop downtown.  The bride and groom had a photo booth there and it was so fun! They had awesome props for every one to use.  Here are Ben and I being silly.  I took a picture of the picture with my phone so it's not the greatest quality. The pictures were put in a scrapbook for the bride a groom.  What a sweet idea!

Check out Couture Photography at http://www.shotbycouture.com/. I promise you will fall in love with his work!